ICTS:32935

Prompt Imaging of Cosmic Outbursts (PICO): A Real-time Localisation Pipeline for FRBs with the SPOTLIGHT

(2025). Prompt Imaging of Cosmic Outbursts (PICO): A Real-time Localisation Pipeline for FRBs with the SPOTLIGHT. SciVideos. https://scivideos.org/index.php/icts-tifr/32935

Prompt Imaging of Cosmic Outbursts (PICO): A Real-time Localisation Pipeline for FRBs with the SPOTLIGHT. SciVideos, Oct. 10, 2025, https://scivideos.org/index.php/icts-tifr/32935 

          @misc{ scivideos_ICTS:32935,
            doi = {},
            url = {https://scivideos.org/index.php/icts-tifr/32935},
            author = {},
            keywords = {},
            language = {en},
            title = {Prompt Imaging of Cosmic Outbursts (PICO): A Real-time Localisation Pipeline for FRBs with the SPOTLIGHT},
            publisher = {},
            year = {2025},
            month = {oct},
            note = {ICTS:32935 see, \url{https://scivideos.org/index.php/icts-tifr/32935}}
          }
Sanjay Kudale
Talk numberICTS:32935
Source RepositoryICTS-TIFR

Abstract

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) represent one of modern astronomy's most compelling mysteries. Despite cataloging approximately 800 FRBs, including 65 repeaters, their exact emission mechanisms remain unknown. This knowledge gap persists largely due to limitations in localization accuracy and timing. Current FRB detection systems face a critical tradeoff: wide-field instruments discover numerous FRBs but provide poor localization accuracy, while interferometric arrays offer precise positions but process data with substantial delays—typically a week between detection and localization. This delay severely limits multi-wavelength follow-up observations, particularly for transient repeaters that may remain active only briefly after discovery. SPOTLIGHT (Survey for sPoradic radiO bursTs via a commensaL, multIbeam, GPU-powered HPC at the GMRT) addresses this challenge through an innovative real-time imaging localization pipeline. Operating commensally with GMRT, the system searches for FRBs across 2000 phased array beams using combined HPC and AI techniques. Upon detection, SPOTLIGHT triggers high-time resolution (1.3ms) visibility recording across a 16-node cluster. These visibilities undergo immediate processing: de-dispersion at the candidate dispersion measure, conversion to CASA measurement sets, and imaging for precise localization. The entire process completes within approximately ~2 minutes post detection—dramatically faster than existing systems. The implementation leverages 8 servers with 384 CPUs dedicated to real-time imaging, capable of handling approximately 100 triggers daily. This capability enables immediate multi-wavelength follow-up observations, critical for capturing rapid afterglows and understanding repeater behavior. SPOTLIGHT represents the first operational survey providing real-time FRB localization—a transformative advancement for radio astronomy that maximizes scientific opportunities from each detection.